"Venus is represented rising out of the water in accord with the conventions of the Aphrodite Anadyomene type. The triton and dolphin, which recall the maritime setting, were sometimes depicted alternately with two cupids accompanying the birth of...

“The large oecus (5) next to the nuptial bedchamber (4) contains the famous frieze representing the “mysteries” of the Dionysus cult that give the villa its name. The paintings here represent the initiation of a young woman into the mysteries of...